Near Record Crowd Welcomes Piazza and Griffey, Jr

An estimated crowd of over 50,000 baseball fans was on hand in Cooperstown Sunday to welcome the two newest inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey, Jr. officially entered baseball's shrine in ceremonies held at the Clark Sports Center, one mile away from the actual Hall of Fame.  The crowd of over 50,00 was second only to attendance in 2007 when an estimated 82,000 packed Cooperstown to honor Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn.

Although getting his start with the Los Angeles Dodgers Mike Piazza earned his greatest acclaim as a New York Met where he led the Mets to the 2000 National League pennant. He holds the record for most home runs hit as a catcher with 396 and 427 overall.

Ken Griffey, Jr. starred with both the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds.  He hit 630 home runs, earned 13 All-Star Game selections, 10 Gold Glove Awards and was the 1997 American League MVP.